Chapter 13 Recovery

"Hello Liana, I am your nurse for the duration of your stay here on the base's ward, please feel free to call me whenever you need help using the button that is located beside your bed. Since you are blind, we decided to move the button closer to the bed so that you can reach for it easily, I will move your hand to the button's location and please remember the approximate position." The nurse said as she moved my hand to the button.

It has been a couple of hours since the others have left, leaving me alone in the ward until the nurse enters. The nurse's voice is familiar for some reason but I don't remember where I have heard it.

"Oh ok, by the way, what is your name? have we met before?" I asked

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Monica, the counselor from the school from before." Monica said

"What? you said you are a nurse? what are you doing here?"

"Oh actually, I currently work here as part of the medical staff in charge of mental health but I decided to help you adapt to your current situation. Since I have worked before as a counselor, I have some exposure to blind kids and know some of their struggles more so than most people. Thus I decided to become your nurse and mental help to cope with your lost vision." Monica explained

"But it is only temporary"

"Well, we never know for sure how long it will take, so to be on the safe side, we need to keep track of your mental stability dealing with your blindness so that we can help you recover and lower your stress."

"I mean sure it sucks to be blind, but I don't really see a big deal with it." I said

"Madam? are you joking? what do you mean being blind is not a big deal?" Monica replied with a bit of a perplexed tone to her voice.

"Eh?"

"You probably haven't noticed it or just haven't woken up for a long time, but blindness can cause stress in people. A previously simple task is almost impossible when you are blind, eating is a lot more difficult since you can't even see the food, and going to the bathroom takes a lot of work. It is especially apparent in people who have just lost their vision that they will be a bit disorientated since their sense of hearing and touch hasn't been that developed yet. After some time, the body will adjust to the lack of vision and will prioritize resources to process hearing and touch more, but it will take time. This delay can have a dramatic impact on the person's mental state thus I am tasked to check on you every day and help you to adapt until your vision returns." Monica explains, I must say, her words have merit.

"Oh ok, I guess I will count on you in the future Ms.Monica"

"Yes, and also just call me Monica" Monica replied cheerfully

"Ok, call me Liana as well" 

"Sure thing Liana, now let me get dinner ready for you, excuse me" Monica goes out of the room.

I was alone again in the ward. I didn't tell her that I actually cannot hear her that well. I think it is not just my sight, but my hearing is also affected, but it is still working, and I could communicate with her, but it is degraded for sure. My touch and smell are also affected, and if I were to guess, my taste also is operating in degraded performance. It might be the side effects of withstanding enormous amounts of honkai energy, similar to how back in Nagazora when I met Mei-senpai again after I ran away from nee-san's captivity, I gradually lost all my senses. But contrary to that time, I feel no pain, no suffering, no feeling of corruption, no feeling of being full of honkai energy, in fact, I think I lack honkai energy. I don't know why, but I have a feeling of needing more honkai energy, perhaps I will need to ask Einstein about it, but I won't tell her that I am having degraded performance on my other senses, I don't want them to worry too much about me.  

The door opened

"Dinner has arrived, also your servant Avrora is here" Monica returns to the room

"Queen Mother, I am sorry I haven't visited you this afternoon, I am busy playing with Kiana while Cecilia-sama and the Queen are here with you." Avrora said in an apologetic tone. "I am sorry that I cannot protect you during the experiment Queen Mother, please let me redeem myself by protecting you while you are in this vulnerable state." I heard a thud, similar to an object hitting the floor.

"Wait Ms.Avrora, don't hit your head on the floor, you might be hurt." Monica said

"Avrora, are you hitting your head on the floor?" I asked

"Yes, Queen Mother, I hope you will forgive me and give me another chance" Avrora said

"Move my hand to your head"

"What?" Avrora said in confusion

"Move my hand to your head" I order her again, this time more slowly

Avrora then grabs my hand and put it on top of her head. I then lift the hand up, ball up my fist, and punch her head from above.

"OUCH!!" Avrora cries in pain

"Stop being dumb, you didn't fail me, so stop bashing your head on the floor to apologize to me. Do you understand Avrora?"

"Ye.. Yes Queen Mother" Avrora said with a crying tone? I imagine her eyes to be filled with tears since I kinda hit her quite hard. Maybe too hard. I should lift her mood up

"Since you are my servant, just stay here and accompany me, I might need some help in the future."

"Ah? Really Queen Mother? you forgive me?" Avrora said in disbelief

"As I said, you did nothing wrong, so now you want to stay here or not?" I ask her in a bit of a stern tone.

"Yes Queen Mother, I will provide you with assistance" Avrora said in a cheerful tone.

This kid is loyal, even if I am not her original master, but I guess she has trusted me and that is a good thing. 

"Now that that situation has been dealt with, Monica, where is my food? I am hungry" I said to Monica

"Ah yes" Monica move to my bed and open the table. She puts the dishes on the table. "Liana, do you want for me or Ms. Avrora to help you eat?"

"Let Avrora do it."

"Well then, I will leave the room, enjoy your dinner." Monica said as she left the room.

"Avrora, help me eat."

"Yes, Queen Mother" Avrora happily move near me and feed me dinner. It tasted like sand.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Avrora told me it's night already, I am quite sleepy for whatever reason and I feel tired even though I am just laying around on the bed, perhaps this is the side effect of being in a coma. I didn't know when I fall asleep but I suddenly felt like I was floating and weightless. Then from the darkness comes scenes... visions.

***

The vision right now is inside a hospital room. Inside the ward, there is the girl that looked like me with bandages on her body. If I remember correctly the last vision ended when Mei, Kevin, and Liana is in the vehicle heading toward Fire MOTH HQ. This must be the hospital ward of that HQ. Beside the sleeping Liana, Kevin sits there while looking at Liana's face. Mei is standing behind him with her hands on his shoulder. 

"*sigh, thank god she is saved" Kevin sighed

"Yeah, if we are a bit late, then perhaps she would have died from blood loss" Mei said in a somber tone, "Liana's injuries are massive, the doctor said that she might not gain consciousness in the near future, but at least her life is not in critical danger anymore, all we can do now is wait."

"Yeah... wait, I see her eyes flinch, Liana, Liana, do you hear me?" Kevin said after he saw Liana's eyelids twitch.

"Hmmm...? ...Oni-chan? five more minutes....." Liana said deliriously

"Liana? Liana, thank god you are awake" Mei moved closer to Liana and grab her hand.

"Hmmm...? ...Mei nee-san? Can I just ask for a sick leave today....? ...I feel my head feels like it wants to explode, I want to just sleep today" Liana said still delirious

"Call the doctor Kevin, let him check her" Mei said as Kevin immediately press the bell and talk to the on-duty nurse, the doctor will come shortly.

"Doctor..? ..Mei nee-san, I am not sick, I am just tired, I want to sleep." Liana said still looking quite out of it especially as she still has her eyes closed.

"Liana, don't sleep ok, keep talking to me" Mei said in a rather panicked tone, perhaps she fears that Liana can go back to a coma.

"Mei nee-san? why you are so worried? I am fine, just tired, wait, this is not the smell of my room. Where am I?" Liana said as she opened her eyes and looked around. "Wait, is this a hospital? does that mean I already skipped class?" 

"Liana, thank god you are fine, I don't know how I will cope with losing you." Kevin hugged her

"Liana, are you feeling alright? no pain?" Mei said as she continues to grab Liana's hand.

"Wha... Get off me baka Oni-chan, what's with you two? it looks like I will die or something and why am I in a hospital? ...wait, don't tell me I really am going to die?" Liana asked

Kevin looked down while Mei nodded.

"Wait, you are joking ouch.." Liana said as she tries to sit up but holds her head in pain

"Liana, stay laying down, your head is hurt." Mei said while pushing Liana back down on the bed.

"What happened? I remember seeing the weird purple white fly looking thing and then saw it charging at the train, after that, I felt the train is impacted and then I don't know."  Liana ask

"Well after that the train is derailed and falls to ground level, luckily you are still breathing. So I carry you away from the crash site, but a group of purple-white knights monsters started to kill survivors, one of them is aiming at us, I manage to demount the rider but the horse charges straight to you and Mei. At the last second, a group of soldiers managed to kill the horse and the other monsters while saying that they are Fire MOTH, an organization that hunts the monsters called the Honkai beasts. They are interested in recruiting Mei to do research for them to protect humanity and offered to provide medical aid to you. After we arrived here and has been briefed on the situation of the world, we decided to join Fire MOTH, Mei as a researcher and I as a soldier." Kevin explained

"So this is in the Fire MOTH HQ?" Liana asks

"Yes, this is the hospital part of the HQ" Mei said.

The doctor entered at that moment and checked Liana for her condition and said that she is fine and that she will just need to wait for recovery, and then he left.

"So about this Fire MOTH thing, you said they fight those purple-white things?" Liana asks

"Yeah they do" Kevin answered

"SO COOL!!!, I want to beat them too" Liana exclaimed

"No, you are injured, even if you have recovered, I will not let you fight them, it is too dangerous, I experience first hand their power." Kevin immediately shot down Liana's plan

"tsk, party pooper" Liana pouted

Kevin just smiled wryly in return

"ugh, are you really my Oni-chan? why are you just smiling like that? usually, you would call me an idiot or something" Liana questioned Kevin regarding his identity

"Hey, I just don't want to insult a sick person, since you like being called an idiot, then I will call you an idiot." Kevin said

"Hey you garbage oni-chan" Liana said

"You idiot imouto" Kevin said back

*cough

The two of them look in the direction of the sound and instantly regret fighting. It was Mei. Behind her was a dark aura, she is angry for sure.

"You two can you stop fighting?" Mei asked in an angry tone

""Yes, ma'am"" both of them answered

"Liana, go rest up ok, we will come back later, I and Kevin need to do some work now" Mei said

"Ok, good luck" Liana said as she saw both of them leave.

###

Mei dragged Kevin to the Fire MOTH's garden and sit on one of the benches. 

"Mei, why do you drag me here?" Kevin said as he sits down next to her.

"Kevin, be honest with me, I notice you are different from before, are you ok?" Mei asks concerned

"*sigh, I guess I couldn't hide it from you huh, even Liana noticed it too." Kevin sigh

"I knew it, what is weighing down on you?" Mei asks

"It's just that this is my first time seeing my sister in that dying state you know, after the adrenaline has gone out of my system, I am suddenly aware that I am scared of losing her. As you may know, we are not close to our parents, so the only person I could call my family is her. I am scared of being left alone, scared of losing my family, scared of the fact that I will need to witness her burial." Kevin said as he is looking at the sky

"..." Mei listened in silence, while also looking at the sky

"When I saw the horse charging towards both of you, I almost broke down. I can't reach you in time to protect both of you. I was thinking that both of you will leave me alone in this world, you both are the most important person in my life, I can't imagine living without you guys by my side." Kevin closes his eyes

"Kevin" Mei said gently as she hold his hand. "I am fine, we are fine, so don't worry ok? it is all fine"

Kevin smiles at Mei

"Yeah, that is why I want to thank Fire MOTH for it" Kevin said

"Is that the reason why you join?" Mei asks

"Well, it is one of the reasons, but probably the other ones are that I want to be near you, and to protect Liana in the future since soldier families can live inside the HQ or any Fire MOTH base for protection." Kevin said

"I actually kind of happy that you will accompany me here" Mei smiled

"I guess I know what my girlfriend likes? hahaha" Kevin laughed

"Anyway, I will protect you and Liana, even if I die, I will be happy to protect you" Kevin said resolutely at Mei

"Stupid Kevin, what do you think I will feel if you die for us?" Mei said sternly "You must stay alive alright? protect humanity, that way you protected us by extension." 

Kevin smiled.

"I guess you are right, I am lucky to have a girlfriend like you" Kevin said

"~fufu, obviously, I am one of a kind." Mei said while laughing

***

The vision ended. It looks like Liana survived and has received medical attention at Fire MOTH's HQ. It seems that Kevin really love Liana as his sister and will protect Mei and Liana with his life. I must say, if I have an older brother in real life, I hope he is like him, but obviously not using his life part. If only Kevin in real life is like this, maybe I would want to become his imouto. 

*sigh, if only I know what these visions are. The story is chronological, it is like a continuing dream. The only person I know that will be able to explain this is honkai-chan but she hasn't called me yet.

How many more of these visions will I experience?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Otto PoV

"Amber, have Phoenix arrived at Nagazora?" 

"Yes Overseer, she has arrived and started investigating the area, however, the honkai occurrences have disappeared and she cannot find any clues about it." Amber said

"Hmmm, it is fine, we can still lure the mystery Herrscher, tell phoenix to prepare her craft for remote piloting from here and let me directly control it, after that, extract phoenix out and prepare fire teams around the city but stay away from it."

"Yes overseer" Amber said as she leaves the room

Small honkai occurrence is probably too small of bait for you my mysterious Herrscher, but what if that honkai energy occurrence is scaled up? *smiles I hope to see you soon.